Investing in a pressure cooker makes the process of making natto so much quicker and easier. I place the soybeans on a steamer basket over water and cook them under pressure for about a half hour. I've never had a batch go bad using Mitoku spores and organically grown soybeans. Mine are incubated...

Ingredients

Allergen Information

Shelf Life and Storage Information

The natto spores will last 6 months in the refrigerator or freezer; 3 to 4 weeks at room temperature.

Why I Love This Product

This culture makes a great natto, and the directions are easy to follow. The natto starter is such a great value because one small vial will make a lot of natto! That means lots of delicious breakfasts without all the additives of commercial natto. I have enjoyed experimenting with alternative beans as well. So far my favorite is black bean natto on tacos. Yum!

Sarah, Customer Support Representative

Additional

Additional Information

UPC

N/A

Reviews

54 Reviews For "Mitoku Traditional Natto Spores"

Natto Spores

by JJno on 01 Thu,2013

Price

Value

Quality

Great product. Instructions were very clear and product turned out great. Will purchase again.

Excellent source for hard to find products

by Sam on 01 Thu,2013

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My Natto turned out great! What a blessing to find the sale of such quality spores from this excellent company. Try finding a plastic strainer to buy locally. I couldn't. Good strainer, makes things easier. Thanks!

Natto spores are great but make sure to use the right soybeans !

by Don on 02 Wed,2013

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Initially I was frustrated a bit when my natto batches were just not coming out as I remembered as a child. Then i realized I was using soybeans that did not look at all like the ones I used so many years ago... they were too large. Large beans will not allow the natto spores to penetrate the bean enough to allow them the needed nutrition to make good natto. So it took a long time in searching and then my wife noticed there is a family farm in Iowa that has started growing really honest to goodness natto soybeans... the tiny ones! Well we ordered them up right away and oh my what excellent natto!!

Great service and product

by Skyking on 11 Wed,2013

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Very satisfied with product and the speed and service provided.First batch of Natto turned out great. Thanks

"Some Like It Hot"

by Lilac on 12 Fri,2013

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Alas I did not have good results, and I think I know why. This baby likes it warm, and I live in chilly New England. Where am I going to get something warm that's big enough for all those beans? The lowest setting on my oven is TOO warm. So I put them on a heating pad that one uses for aquariums with lizards, but that was not enough. I ended up with smelly, moldy beans. I really think that the directions should start one off with a smaller batch. As it is, the recipe calls for a very large amount, and that's not good for starters, when one is still experimenting. There's no doubt that the quality is good, because I did see that stringy web stuff, and it smelled like natto. I just have to figure out how to keep them at the warm temperature they like, and then I think all will be well. I know the Japanese have special natto units to keep them warm, and that may be the best way to go, if you can afford it. I gave value and quality 5 stars here because it's clear to me that the problem is my cold kitchen, and not the culture itself. I guess I'll just have to move to the Florida keys.

Response from CFH: Please contact customer support for troubleshooting advice before discarding product. Many cultures can be saved with minor adjustments.

Awesome

by Natto man on 12 Sun,2013

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So good and a lot of spores to make a ton of Natto!

Best Non-GMO Organic Soybean Natto

by Angie on 12 Tue,2013

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Investing in a pressure cooker makes the process of making natto so much quicker and easier. I place the soybeans on a steamer basket over water and cook them under pressure for about a half hour. I've never had a batch go bad using Mitoku spores and organically grown soybeans. Mine are incubated in a covered glass container wrapped in a towel on top of a heating pad turned on low placed inside a recycled styrofoam cooler.

1st two batches ever... success!

by vegdiver1 on 12 Sat,2013

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Well, thanks to Cultures For Health, I now have another addiction. We're a vegan household, and now have natto in our cooking diversity arsenal.

Used our wall oven for for fermenting, with an automobile work light from the garage (the kind with a long cord that you hang under your hood) place on bottom of oven, and an inexpensive Radio Shack indoor/outdoor thermometer probe placed strategically inside to monitor temp. Tried to maintain (semi-successfully) 104f for the 24 hour period.

The natto spores worked like a charm! The 1st batch was a small one, and after that success, did a large batch. Divided the large batch into 25 one-cup freezer containers to defrost as needed. Easy-peasy! Now on to the tempeh...

excellent

by dixiedoodle on 12 Sun,2013

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Made natto using black beans and hot pad in cooler. Worked better than expected. Great results. All information needed was with the spors. Happy, happy, happy.:)

Works well

by BlackDogFarmer on 01 Fri,2014

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Very happy with the natto starter. First batch was so, so. Made a couple of adjustments to my process and the 2nd batch was PRIMO! I had tried to make natto in the past using commercial natto beans as a starter and it did not work well. Your starter was amazing how well it worked. I would recommend this natto moto to all who want to make their own!

Night and Day Superior to Store Bought Natto

by Fullas21 on 01 Fri,2014

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Value

I've been practicing home natto making for the past year. I've done all the ghetto internet methods, using store bought packets for starter and refining and perfecting all of the "technical" aspects of making natto. It is an extremely simple food in terms of ingredients, but it is uniquely Japanese in that it is also quite difficult to get it correctly.

This natto spore package was the final missing piece from my puzzle. I followed the directions carefully, although I used two spoons of starter instead of one, and my natto came out unbelievably sticky, delicious, and savory. There is absolutely no substitute to this, except for maybe other purpose made starter spores which I would now like to try and would love for this site to carry.

Unlike one of the other reviewers, I used large, full sized soybeans that I cooked in a pressure cooker and had them super mushy soft. They tightened up to the correct texture and properly fermented all the way through once the entire process was completed (a 48-50 hr affair).

$12.99 is expensive at first, put considering the yield of natto and the quality, it's a steal. It's like eating a McRib sandwich your whole life and then finally trying lovingly made, hickory smoked spare ribs by an expert smoker. I feel cheated for eating the "sanitized", milder flavor of store bought junk. Toss the styrofoam, prepackaged natto garbage away. There is no going back from this.

Good

by Dawang on 03 Tue,2014

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It worked very well!

Easy to make natto!

by Nutto on 03 Wed,2014

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These natto spores come with clear instructions.
Natto is a miracle food, but making it isn't rocket science.
Thanks Mitoku!

Great service

by Amrit on 03 Mon,2014

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This site is very reliable and prompt with orders. Thanks so much. I will advise my patients to frequent your site.

Amrit Willis RN

Excellent product. How you make the natto is the key to success.

by Soil Sommelier on 03 Mon,2014

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Quality

This worked GREAT. I put the beans in 16 oz. jars in a pressure cooker & let the steam provide all the moisture, cooking them for 30 minutes. Salting them with whole seasalt didn't seem to affect the natto cultivation at all & helps the flavor. Placing the beans directly in the pressure cooker means you're going to lose starch in the water that is left over. By placing them in jars there is no water lost & no need to rinse them after cooking, leaving the starch in tact for the natto bacillus to feed on. Thanks for making this available!

worked great first time

by ontheshore on 06 Mon,2014

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I had never made natto before, didn't even know what to expect. But I watched some videos on youtube and gave it a try. I followed the directions that came with the package, and it turned out great. Looked and smelled just like the video said it would. Thank you!

Great product!

by Anthony D on 09 Wed,2014

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I was 100% convinced I was going to screw up the process, but the directions were very clear and the starter produced wonderful natto! Much tastier than the store-bought variety, cannot wait to ferment up my next batch!!

excellent product.

by shinkaz on 09 Sat,2014

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Though I have the item shipped to my home in hot Summer day of Florida, it worked just fine. Thank you so much. I have already made 2 batches of Natto.

Fantastic

by Gail G on 10 Fri,2014

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I've made several batches after a year's worth of using supermarket starter packages. It is unreliable at best. Very discouraging. But, I buy the non-GMO soy beans from the gal in Iowa, soak overnight, pressure cooker it for 20 minutes, then use my YoLife yogurt maker to incubate. You need some air gaps to halt the ammonia that forms. After about 12-18 hours, it's nice and stringy and tasty. I tried the crock pot to cook for 12 hours on high, and the beans were too well saturated, which may've contributed to some of my failures. The Mitoku natto spores are by far the only way to go for consistency. It's worth the 2 days to get a success rather than a dismal failure.

Authentic natto bacteria cysts

by Christian on 11 Fri,2014

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Love opening the box and finding a paper with Japanese writing all over it. SO AUTHENTIC! I felt so confident making my natto with this knowing that it's what real Japanese natto makers make natto with. The little spoon is so handy, I use it to stir the water in a shot glass after adding the powdered cysts.

Super Stringy Natto

by trooth2u on 11 Fri,2014

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I used to use old natto as the starter for a new batch, but never again! These spores make the natto REALLY slimy and stringy...no comparison! Try it, you'll like it.

Great product and great service

by Sue on 12 Thu,2014

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I have made natto with Mitoku Traditional Natto Spores for several years. I eat natto with rice every day to keep good health. And the taste is great. We love it. The delivery was so quick. Thanks!

The natto spores worked perfectly!

by Diane on 01 Fri,2015

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The instructions were great, and the natto turned out perfectly (and SO yummy!). Since this was the first time I have ever made natto, I was concerned there were only enough spores to make one batch. If I ruined this batch, I didn't want to have to order again and again until I got it right. Fortunately there were enough spores that I can still make another batch (or more) in case I lose my starter natto for some reason. Thanks so much!

Works great!

by solomd on 01 Sat,2015

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I just made my first batch of natto. There is a learning curve to ensuring a stable temperature for incubation. I did get half of the soybeans to grow the natto, and that half turned out just like it is supposed to. I am going to try black beans next and continue to make the environment more acceptable to the natto. The product was delivered quickly and was packaged carefully. It was a good buying experience, and I will purchase from Cultures for Health again.

Thrilled

by blsfulchaos on 01 Mon,2015

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Value

These spores are pure and powerful... no off taste, very rapid proliferation... definitely no filler. Currently natto-ing all of my things, and I'll definitely order from here when I need a refill, especially considering their flat-rate shipping and rapid delivery time. Thanks, CFH!

natto spores work great

by Karen on 02 Mon,2015

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I'm learning how to make my own natto, which is greatly improving my health. I've made 3 batches of natto so far. I have one suggestion---put on some latex gloves before handling the little spoon to ensure that you don't contaminate anything. Spoon is very small.

Great Stuff

by Alobar on 02 Wed,2015

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First batch of fermented soy beans were a bit dry and not slimy... but I adjusted my heat and batch 2 is excellent.

excellent

by Cindy on 03 Mon,2015

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I'm on my second bottle of natto starter and have only had one batch fail due to the temperature being too warm. I've had excellent results using black beans, a pressure cooker to cook the beans, and a dehydrator set at the lowest temp (95degrees)
I love this product and recommend the starter and Cultures for Health. Thank you Cultures for Health for providing quality products and quality service!

Amazing

by Kate on 04 Sat,2015

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Value

I recently purchase my first natto spores from Culture for Health and have successfully produced my first batch. I used my oven to culture the batch. I removed the cover from the light and inserted a 40 watt bulb, leaving the cover off. This created an ideal temperature of around 105 degrees to cultivate the natto. Because it was my first batch I scoured the internet for tips and found a few that I applied like covering my container with aluminum foil that I punctured with a knife for aeration, and stirring my natto during the culturing process (bugs seem to appreciate the attention). I haven’t tried natto before, but my batch turned out stringy and sticky which according to experts is near perfect.

Thank you Cultures for Health for providing high quality, healthy products of which the benefits are beyond quantifying in financial terms.

Wonderful product

by KM on 04 Mon,2015

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Value

This item works!!!
We live away from Asian store, so we can't get Natto often enough.
My kids and I are enjoying homemade Natto.
Easy instructions in both English and Japanese.
Thank you so much for selling this product online in the US.

well done

by samUreyes on 05 Tue,2015

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Value

Using the culture, I have made two batches of natto. I wish the spores were easier to measure out.

Thank you CFH!

by aug on 05 Sat,2015

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I am so grateful Cultures for Health offer this product. I fell in love with Natto the first time I tried it and unfortunately Natto is not easy to find where I live,
This product is great quality, they shipped it to me quickly, and provided reliable tracking info that made it easy to take it out of the mailbox and into the fridge as soon as possible.
The recipe they provide yields a big batch of Natto. I didn't take into consideration that I am only feeding myself, and I lacked enough storage for the finished batch to ferment in, so my first batch overwhelmed me but turned out DELICIOUS!
Overall I think you are in great hands when buying from this company. They provide an abundance of help and recipes, and with all the cultures I have bought from this company they always provide plenty of info on how to store and take care of the different cultures they provide. They seem to care, and that they want you to have a great experience with your product.

It worked

by jack on 05 Fri,2015

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Successful with soy beans.
Successful with organic soy milk.
Will try other beans than soy.

Great price, quality and value.

by Sherry on 07 Sun,2015

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I'm a newbie at making natto. I received the spores quickly and it took such a small amount to make a big batch!This package of spores is going to make a LOT of natto! When I had questions about what to do during a particular phase of the fermentation, I was able to do a live chat with a very helpful gal. Thank you.

Mitoku Traditional Natto Spores make great natto.

by acujeff on 08 Mon,2015

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I use to make natto in an oven by the heat of the pilot light. New oven has no pilot light so now I make natto in a yogurt maker. Mitoku Traditional Natto Spores make great natto.

Note from CFH: We urge caution when using a yogurt maker to make natto. Carefully monitor the temperature to avoid overheating the culture.

Worked great - that's what matters

by Dan on 10 Thu,2015

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It works just as it's supposed to. I did exactly as the instructions said, and used exactly as much the instructions said. Everything came out wonderfully. I keep the remainder of the starter in the freezer for use later. I've used it twice so far (I make large batches).

Perfect Natto every time

by KO on 11 Mon,2015

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This comes with its own spoon to measure. This makes it so easy to make Natto!

Black Soybean Natto

by Steph on 11 Sun,2015

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I used black soybeans instead of the standard soybean, though it cooked to bigger than the standard, it fermented at the same rate.
I fermented for slightly over 24 hours in a dehydrator to keep the temp. Temp read 110 most of the time.
It fermented great! A little goes a long way.
Good quality product and got to me in very little time and survived the hot weather along the way.

Fast Friendly service

by Torx on 01 Sat,2016

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Worked perfect, Thanks

great natto

by eric on 04 Tue,2016

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I've only had natto a couple of times at japanese restaurants but I thought the natto I made with this was even better. It was really easy too. I wouldn't follow the directions that come with it because it is for making over 2 pounds! I followed this youtube video for making a cup at a time. https://youtu.be/ihQBFx3HxEU
And put it into a yogurt maker to ferment. I was worried that the yogurt maker might be too warm (about 108-110F), but it worked perfect. Thanks cultures for health!

Good Quality Inoculant Makes Tasty Natto

by DreeC on 05 Tue,2016

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Natto came out great first time, using a warming plate and large pot, see http://dreesnotes.blogspot.ca/

So easy

by Eric on 05 Tue,2016

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I've been an avid "fermenter" for years and years now; Kombucha, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, beer, etc. I became interested in making natto after learning it is one of the best sources for vitaminK2. Natto is sooo easy to make! I only make 1 cup of soybeans at a time and ferment them in a yogurt maker. I've made about 4 batches so far and no problems at all.

flavor!

by hanifa on 05 Tue,2016

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I have made natto a few times before using storebought natto as the innoculant. This time, I used Mitoku Traditional Natto Spores. The Mitoku Traditional Natto Spores worked beautifully and the flavor of this natto was 100% better than any I have made before. Thanks for a good product!

Awesome everything

by Saull on 09 Sat,2016

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Love it

Great product

by Tyler on 09 Fri,2016

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Worked as intended, great product and it was easy to make. Now I can make fermented soy flour as well and make my chili paste.

good stuff

by citrine on 11 Thu,2016

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worked for me

Another Great Quality Product

by HIroshi on 04 Sat,2017

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Worked very well the first time. Amazed how little of it is needed to inoculate so many beans. Very impressed with the quality. Cooked for 45 minutes on medium-high and dehydrated for 24 hours.

excellent

by john on 02 Fri,2014

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I have a lot of fermentation experience (beer, wine, vinegar, cider, krauts, sourdough). Still I was amazed that the first time I got a natto production as good as natto from the store. All I need now is a source of small soybeans. Great documentation and support, excellent product.

wonderful product

by surelygoodness on 11 Sat,2014

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try it

An Excellent Natto Starter Spores

by Haru on 06 Sun,2015

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The Nattomoto does make an excellent Natto using the tiny amount as instructed. After about ten try and error, I reached to make the identical Natto as commercially sold at Oriental Grocery with a fraction of cost.

Works great! Quantities to make are huge!

by Phickle on 04 Thu,2014

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I've been very happy with the several batches of natto I've made with this product. The only downside is that it's pure spore, which means you have to mix a very tiny amount of product very throughly into a very large amount of beans. (0.1 grams spore to 1 kilo beans (before cooking)).

Luckily, a hilariously small spoon is included with the spore for measuring. My kitchen scale doesn't get down to 0.1 grams.

I will definitely be buying this again.

great product

by golewgo on 05 Sun,2014

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I used chick peas and have a very tasty product. Great and am obtaining all the Vitamin that I am after in large quantities. Have been 'brewing' for three weeks now and have more than i can eat but enjoying. Would recommend to any one who is interested.

Sincerely,

Golewgo

very good product

by cindy on 02 Sun,2016

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I made the excellent natto with it. Thanks.

Worked as advertised; prompt delivery

by Mike on 01 Sun,2014

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The product was as advertised; it successfully made natto, complete with the nattokinase protein strings.

Hi with the nuclear disaster how do we know your product is safe? where are ingredients sourced. Where is it made?

Regards carmen

Mitoku Co., Ltd. Export Division has been awarded ISO22000:2005 certification for Food Safety Management Systems. ISO22000 is an international standard based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program, it provides systematic framework with defining food hazards, to control food quality and safety. ​

After making natto, do you keep it in the refrigerator and when would it go bad if it does? In other words how do you store it until consuming.
Thanks.

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the issue so we will go with the more conservative answer. Store it in the fridge and consume within one week. Natto can be stored in the freezer for a few months, thaw it in the fridge and consume within a week.